Animals sensed earthquake first

New Delhi: Animals sensed the earthquake in advance in Nepal on Saturday as minutes before the quake hit,  monkeys, dogs and cattle behaved strangely, said survivors.

“As we were shopping near Pashupatinath temple, suddenly the monkeys in the nearby trees started behaving oddly by screeching and jumping from one branch to another. As we looked at the trees curiously, suddenly the earth started shaking,” said Srimati, a resident  from Bangalore. “We also saw a large number of birds flying with loud chirping a few seconds before the earthquake,” she recalled.

Srimati, who came to Nepal on pilgrimage with her husband Balaji, said “The birds must have sensed first about the tragedy and their bizarre behaviour indicated something was wrong.” 

“Dogs too behaved



peculiarly. When we are at the Buddha Stupa in Kathmandu, a lot of dogs were seen howling. Immediately, the earth started shaking and we virtually struggled to stand our ground,”  observed by tourists.

Though the first tremor, which occurred on Saturday at 11.45 am stopped after a few seconds, the dogs were still seen running about and howling. 

The earth shook so much, it was difficult to stand. Several people were seen collapsing while moving as the earth was virtually swinging. On the roads, several bikes skidded and hit pedestrians, Sudamani, a former television anchor, said.

Shocked after seeing buildings collapse like a pack of cards and people buried alive, roads cracking up, falling electric poles, the survivors are eager to get back home.